How Not to Design an Email Newsletter

I receive many email newsletters and would like to read them, but usually I don’t. The reason is they aren’t user-friendly. Here’s how they frustrate me.

The email contains the headline (which is generally interesting) and a couple of teaser lines. I need to click on “more.”

I’m then taken to a webpage. I see the headline again and a few additional lines of text, but it’s still not enough to satisfy my curiosity. So I need to click on “read more.”

Now I’m taken to a second page for this specific item.

About half the time, a pop-up covers what I’m trying to read. I’m not interested in an ad, and I don’t want to sign-up for anything or login. Sometimes it’s challenging to figure out how to even close the pop-up.

By now I’ve lost interest and am frustrated. I close the webpages and delete the email. If I’m really irritated, I’ll also unsubscribe – and if I didn’t sign up for it, I mark it as spam.

But there are newsletters I will read – assuming they have relevant information that interests me.

This means no clicking – or only one click. I don’t have to leave my email program, and I’m not subjected to popups. Then I will take time to read it. And if we are cultivating an audience and building a platform for our books, isn’t that the goal?

What irritates you about email newsletters? What should you change in your newsletter? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Peter DeHaan is an author, publisher, and editor. He gives back to the writing community through this blog. Get insider info from his monthly newsletter.Sign up today!

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